Cildanian Civil War (3870-3874)
The Cildanian Civil War of 3870-3874 was a conflict between the Selucian minority government of Cildania and a diverse coalition of communist, monarchist, and religious militias opposed to Selucian apartheid. Conflict started on May 25th, 3870 when the Cildanian government destroyed the medieval Mor Yaqub Cathedral in Har Yafe. The destruction of the church eventually evolved into a civil war between the Cildanian government and the Cildanian opposition underneath the banner of the Interim Cildanian Government. Background In 3862 the short-lived Communist regime in Cildania was overthrown by a minority Seluco-Cildanian regime, funded and supported by the Selucian Republic. Calling itself the "Most Serene Cildanian Empire", the Selucian regime, led by Emperor Quintus Sibilla, proceeded to implement a series of increasingly dictatorial laws aiming to entrench its apartheid regime over the majority Qedarite population of Cildania. The most radical of these laws was a ban on all religious practice under pain of death, also threatening to dismantle all religious buildings in Cildania. This led to a strong reaction from the Apostolic Army in Majatra, the unrecognized terrorist arm of the Apostolic Church of the East, Cildania's largest denomination, including a number of attacks on governmental buildings and on Selucian-majority areas in the Capital. The Apostolic Army had much to gain from the disintegration of Majatran regimes in the aftermath of the Jelbic War, and in Cildania the Army, in the lack of a working central authority, engaged in piracy throughout the duration of the Communist regime, greatly increasing its wealth and military strength. On the 25th of May 3870, as a gesture of defiance to the Apostolic opposition and as a means of enforcing its anti-religious legislation, the Imperial government initiated the destruction of almost a dozen ancient shrines and buildings in Har Yafe, including the Mor Yaqub cathedral, a heritage site built in the Middle Ages. Minister of Infrastructure Opiter Portius announced that the Great Sinagogue of Qart Qildar would be the next building in line to be demolished, and a major parking garage to be built in it's place. The destruction of the Cathedral sparked violent opposition, however it would only be two years later that a full-blown civil war would start. In the months after the Cathedral's destruction the Apostolic Army in Majatra formed alliances with Yeudi and Ahmadi militias with the purpose of forming a unified religious front against the government, while also reaching out to the Communist Party of Cildania and the Cildanian National Coalition, two other opposition groups, with the goal of establishing an alliance of convenience against the Sibilla regime. Further fueling tensions was the attempt by the government to replace the Apostolic Department of Cildania with a new creation, the Church of Cildania, which was to function under the direct supervision and control of the Imperial government. Tensions finally erupted on March 1st, 3872 when the Cildanian Imperial Police began raids to arrest and suppress what they claimed to be terrorist unlawfully occupying former religious sites of Qart Yam. The Cildanian Civil War The Civil War began in 3780 with the occupation of a number of religious and strategic sites by various militias opposed to the government. The Cildanian People's Revolutionary Front, the paramilitary branch of the Kaminskist Communist Party of Cildania, occupied most major harbors, including those of Qart Yam and Qart Ramesh, aided by the mutiny of communist-affiliated seamen and dockworkers, while the Apostolic Army in Majatra entrenched itself in a number of historic churches and cathedrals, seeking to defend them from the destruction that had befallen the Mor Yaqub cathedral. The war reached its boiling point in 3782 when the "Alpha Directive" was issued by the Imperial government and granted unprecedented power to the Cildanian Imperial government and they began operations against the opposition. In August 3872 the Cildanian government was able to recapture most rebel-held areas, and on the 14th of August the Cildanian 2nd Imperial Military Police Division retook the Cathedral of Saint Gregory, the rebel headquarters located in the city of Byt. The re-capture of the cathedral granted the Imperial government a much needed reprieve and it almost looked like the conflict would be brought to an end given the success of the Alpha Directive and the rebels' disorganization. Moreover several foreign governments were contemplating joining the war on the Imperial side. Trigunia had floated the idea of intervening but could not do so unless a formal request was issued, which was finally sent at the end of August. Headed by Colonel Rustem Lyagushkin, the Trigunian peacekeeping force began to set up a forward operating base near Qart Qildar in Akeldr, however the Trigunian Peacekeepers were intentionally sent to Cildania without much offensive equipment, primarily equipped with standard issue equipment and utility military vehicles for transportation. At the same time the Pirate War was raging in South Majatra, where former Selucian Consul Lucius Cassius Aquilinus had gained control of a number of Deltarian ports, opening the possibility that the Cildanian government would ask for Selucian assistance in suppressing rebel-run piracy and regaining control over opposition held ports, under the umbrella of the South Ocean Treaty Organisation. With the seemingly imminent governmental victory, the rebels were forced to cooperate closely, and the idea of forming an alternative government formed by the opposition began to gain traction. This was finally achieved in September 3872 when the Communist Party of Cildania, the Apostolic Army in Majatra, the Heirs of Ariel (a Yeudi militia), and the Ahmadi State in Cildania formed the Cildanian Interim Government, claiming to be the sole legitimate representative of the Cildanian people. With the re-capture of St. Gregory's cathedral and the issuance of the Alpha Directive the Interior Security Constabulary was directed to enforce the directive to its fullest extent. At the same time General Iseabail Shmerkin deployed the "Ubitox" Mechanized Brigade of the 2nd Imperial Military Police Division to prepare for the assault on the Communist forces in the Qart Yam harbor. An additional 20,000 Imperial troops were sent to Jilsun to act as reinforcements. The Imperial High Command deployed the Cildanian Navy and the 8th Armored Brigade with the assistance of the Imperial Amphibious Task Force with necessary landing forces to re-take Qart Ramesh. Battle of Qart Ramesh and Qart Yam The Battle of Qart Ramesh began in September 3782. Initially the 8th Armored Brigade of the Imperial military made minor gains on the outskirts of the city with minor losses, backed up by close air support. The Imperial High Command was content with the progress and was close to mounting an extensive offensive against the city. At the same time, the Republic of Barmenia, in an effort to consolidate its Hosian-based regime and remove the domestic Ahmadi challenge to its power, passed the "Elimination of Theocratic Rule" act which forced Ahmadis from Barmenia by revoking their citizenship. The Barmenian government would sponsor the creation of the Free Ahmadi Army who would be formed to take the fight of the Cildanian government. The Barmenian government announced that 1.4m Ahmadis would be sent over to Cildania to fight, though only 234,230 had signed up for the Free Ahmadi Army (FAA) underneath FAA Commander Kamek Azi who promised "...to raze their fields and behead them...". Many members of the newly formed FAA had experience fighting as they previously fought against local warlords and were thus prepared for "all out war". In an attempt to halt the landings of the FAA, the Imperial government authorized the Imperial Army to destroy harbors in all government controlled territory, although it was later revealed that only the port of Namal Kbiir was destroyed as it was standard procedure in the event of an invasion or imminent threat of invasion. This would impact the landings of the FAA as well as other paramilitary groups that were attempting to land along the western coast of Cildania. Hosian-based paramilitaries alongside the military of Barmenistan would lose around 4,000 soldiers of their 40,000-strong force and would begin to regroup at Namal Kbiir. The FAA continued to march on Qart Ramesh, though without aerial cover and limited equipment they were concerned about their abilities to defeat the incoming Imperial military forces. Shortly after the explosions on the western Cildanian coast, the Barmenian military would withdraw due to opposition on the homefront. The Barmenian President noted that the FAA would continue and granted them authority to establish a homeland in Cildania if they so wished. The commander of the local Imperial Garrison at Namal Kbiir announced a complete withdrawal as part of the Omega Directive issued by the Imperial government. The Imperial High Command then deployed the 2nd and 5th Mechanized Brigade, the 13th Artillery Brigade and the 9th Armored Brigade to begin a counter-offensive against the FAA in Qart Ramesh, as the FAA had successfully entered into the city even under heavy bombardment from the Cildanian Air Force. Around the same time international condemnation of the Imperial regime and support for the Interim Government was growing. Not long after the Omega Directive the Trigunian Peacekeepers underneath Colonel Lyagushkin vacated Cildania without providing an official reason, and it was commonly believed that the Trigunians did not want to appear to sponsor a dictator. Soon afterwards the Majatran Union decided in a unanimous vote to revoke the Cildanian Empire's membership and recognize instead the Interim Government as the legitimate representative of Cildania, furthering a blow to the legitimacy of the government. In March 3873 Selucian Imperator Aquilinus, who had joined forces with the Imperial Amphibious Task Force, was defeated at a naval battle off of the coast of Qart Ramesh in what was the first major victory for the rebel forces, landing a serious blow against the Imperial regime. The assault on Qart Ramesh by the Imperial forces was now without any naval support, making it difficult for ground troops to receive naval artillery support. Despite the serious setback to the Imperial forces the 13th Artillery Brigade responded with several anti-ship missiles launched from coastal batteries, which was enough to penetrate the rebel fleet's anti-missile defenses and struck a cruiser of the rebel forces. The victory was short lived however and the rebels quickly dispatched their limited supply of cruise missiles to destroy the two ASM batteries. In an effort to stall naval assistance through the port of Qart Ramesh the 13th Artillery Brigade launched a salvo of artillery fire to destroy the port, rendering it useless. However, despite the destruction of a rebel cruiser, the Imperial Air Force could not provide air support due to naval anti-air defenses provided by the rebel fleet off the coast. Imperial Intelligence received information that the rebel fleet was planning to stay near Qart Ramesh rather than set sail for Qart Yam in Jilsun. The Imperial Army counter-offensive had begun and the Imperial Army re-occupied the western port district of Qart Yam. The Cildanian Communist forces in Qart Ramesh began to prepare for an eventual Imperial Army assault on the city and sent reinforcements to defend against the advancing Imperial Army. The Imperial High Command issued the directive that the 5th Mechanized Brigade, supported by the 13th Artillery Brigade's heavy artillery, attack Qart Ramesh and despite staunch Communist resistance on the outskirts of the city, the 5th Mechanized Brigade broke through and decimated the Communist forces with minimal losses. At the same time the 2nd Mechanized Brigade and the 9th Armored Brigade engaged in a blocking action to stop the FAA advance near the town of Lol combined with Imperial Air Force support. In an effort to prepare for invasions elsewhere the Imperial High Command dispatched the 3rd Imperial Air Cavalry Division to the Yilrit region. The Commander of the 13th Artillery Brigade would receive the order from the Imperial High Command to begin incendiary bombings of the city to deny the enemy resources. The 13th Artillery Brigade would switch between regular and incendiary shells. Due to the use of cluster munitions the air strikes against the FAA, combined with the blocking actions of the Imperial Army units proved useful. The air strikes allowed the 2nd Mechanized Brigade and the 9th Armored Brigade to mount an offensive against the FAA while the 3rd Imperial Air Cavalry Division was tasked to begin operations against Namal Kbiir. Growing opposition and international recognition The Interim Cildanian Government was created in September 3872 as an umbrella organization to counter the Cildanian government. Initially formed as a temporary alliance between religious and communist militias, many other organizations would join the Interim Government throughout the civil war as the tide was turning against the Imperial regime and the latter's abuses came to light. On October 25th, 3872 the Dorvish Republic underneath President Tanus von Desidier announced that they would internationally recognize the Interim Cildanian Government as the legitimate government of Cildania. They did this by withdrawing the accreditation of the former Imperial ambassador to Dorvik and offering the space to the new Interim Cildanian Government. Internally, the Imperial Government's actions in the battle of Qart Ramesh came with a large public relations cost. The mounting civilian deaths resulting from the incendiary bombing of the city determined more groups to officially join the Interim Government and its rebellion. Most notably, the monarchist Cildanian National Coalition, commanding a sizable paramilitary and which had until then remained neutral in the conflict, pledged its allegiance to the Interim Government in September 3873, in return of the latter's recognition of the legitimacy of the House of Thomas. Later the same month the Hebilean Resistance Army, the ethnic militia of the Hebilean people, also openly joined the rebellion. The Hebilean people had until then been cautiously supportive of the Imperial government due to its overthrowing the majority Cildanian regime, but the government's staunchly anti-religious policies determined the devoutly Departmental Hebileans to join the rebellion. Over the next few months more and more foreign governments pledged their military and political support for the rebels. Saridan, Dorvik, Trigunia, and Vanuku would all pledge support to the rebels by December 3873, and the next month the "five nation coalition" (Deltaria, Zardugal, Cobura, Jakania and Vanuku) came together to construct a No Fly Zone over opposition held Qart Ramesh. In March 3874, after the Imperial government shot down one of the coalition airplanes, the multinational coalition pushed on east into Qart Ramesh, following a heavy aerial offensive knocking out most of the Imperialist air defences in the area. The multi-national coalition announced it had established full control over over most of Qart Ramesh by early June 3874. With the tide turning against the Sibilla regime, the Imperial government suffered another heavy blow a few days later when a group of five officers in the Cildanian Imperial Army, led by General Sudru Ṡuṡ, defected and joined the forces of the Interim Government. The defectors brought their expertise and prestige with them, and over the next few weeks General Ṡuṡ succeeded in unifying the disparate warring factions of the Interim Government under his command, forming a unified command structure and a genuine fighting force out of the inexperienced and disorganized militias that had been the backbone of rebel opposition until then. Peace In late June 3874 Emperor Quintus Sibilla stepped down from his office and offered an unconditional surrender to the rebels. This was done because of mounting pressure from the international community and the inability to prevent the Communists from occupying Qart Ramesh. The Imperial High Commanders also resigned from office, most of whom fled the country thereafter. The Interim Government was reformed as the People's Free State of Cildania, and Sarah bat Te'oma was crowned Queen of Cildania. Following the war, the Communist Party Leader, Adonibaal bin Hiempsal Mekir, suggested that Quintus Sibilla be tried for war crimes and apartheid. Renewed hostilities Although the Interim Government achieved its stated goal of overthrowing the Sibilla apartheid regime, the fact that the rebel coalition was composed of a wide array of monarchist, communist, Hosian, and Ahmadi militias ultimately led to infighting. The coalition disintegrated soon after the end of the war with the former allies engaged in a struggle for influence and territory against each other, and within a year these tensions escalated and resulted in renewed fighting and the second stage of the Cildanian Civil War. In was only in 3880 that a fragile peace was ultimately installed on the island. Category:Wars, civil wars and conflicts